I have a friend whose neighbor has decided that she's a terrible person, and has aimed spotlights at her home. Does Worcester have any regulations concerning outdoor lights in residential areas?

Comments

Noggro t1_iyexbzf wrote on November 30, 2022 at 9:54 PM

Put a mirror in the windows

notanotheramber t1_iye9q0h wrote on November 30, 2022 at 7:22 PM

Probably, I delt with this a few towns away. Call the police and they'll instruct you on if it's them or someone else you have to deal with.

GoblinBags t1_iyfarmt wrote on November 30, 2022 at 11:30 PM

IANAL: I agree that the friend should call the police and let them decide. It's a nuisance law and an attorney's services will probably be required to fix the issue.

https://www.calalaw.com/practice-areas/real-estate-law/private-nuisance/

> Massachusetts law uses the ordinary person standard to determine whether something is a private nuisance. You must prove that an ordinary person would be bothered by the alleged behavior or circumstances causing the public nuisance. For example, if you have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and a nearby odor is causing you grief, from a legal standpoint, you may not have a case if an ordinary person wouldn’t find the same odor offensive.

> In Massachusetts, a property holder must prove that a nuisance has caused “significant harm” to their interest. The nuisance has to impact their use and enjoyment of the land directly.